Taking a trip to Sonoma and NV in the next couple of weeks, and will be spending three nights in NV. Already on the waiting list for French Laundry, and have reservations at Morimoto one night, and Bistro Jeanty for another. Debating Bottega, Mustard's, or ??? for the final night. I haven't been in several years, so any recommendations would be welcome!

Hello,

We’re planning to visit Napa Valley this weekend and wanted to check if the fall colors have started showing up yet.

Thanks in advance!

Hello-We will be heading to the area with some friends for a few days after my daughter’s wedding next May in Zamora. We will be winding down and are looking for a relaxing few days at a hotel with a pool and a wine tour to smaller wineries. Should we look at Sonoma or Napa? We’d love to be able to walk to town or take a hotel shuttle. We aren’t looking to spend a fortune. Any recommendations for hotels or areas to stay in?

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A few highlights from our last visit

We are doing a short impulse trip to Napa next week and are looking for a couple of days of wine tastings recommendations.

We drink way too many Cabs and are looking for places that are not Cab-centric - Reds and White are both fine. They don't need to be great wines, just interesting. Bias toward family wineries to support them.

Any ideas?

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Thanks for all the reccomendations! Many were booked already, will add them to next trip.

Managed to book Hendry, Matthiasson, and Keenan for this trip.

Going to Napa Nov 6 to 8 for my girlfriend’s birthday. First time for both of us, staying in downtown Napa and no car, so we’ll be using Uber/Lyft.

I’m keeping the whole trip a surprise for her, and I’m honestly pretty bad at planning these things 😅 There are so many recommendations online that I’m just trying to narrow it down and make this one really memorable for her.

Friday is her birthday. We’ll get there in the morning, probably explore downtown, Oxbow and the riverfront, then I’d love to do one memorable winery/vineyard experience, find a really nice sunset spot, and have a great birthday dinner. If there’s one winery or experience you’d pick specifically for a birthday, I’d love to hear it.

Saturday will be more about the wine experience. We both like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, and she also really likes Cabernet Sauvignon. We’re casual wine drinkers, so I’m not looking to spend crazy money at every stop. I’ve seen Domaine Carneros, cave tours, barrel tastings, vineyard tours, etc., but not sure what’s actually worth it. (Also totally open to skipping Domaine Carneros if there’s another winery you think is a much better first-time experience.)

Also open to any breakfast, coffee, casual food, views, or anything around Napa or Yountville that you think is worth adding.

Sunday we’ll just head back home.

Hi

I am looking for recommendation on wine tasting in Jerez de la Frontera… anything near ~€20pp or less would helpful.

Thank you

Hi!

I’m planning my 40th birthday party and would love to rent an airbnb in wine country for 3-4 days in January and have 6 guests (including myself). I’m wondering where the best towns in wine country are to do this sort of event? Claude seems to recommend Healdsburg or Sonoma for large estates on vineyards with gorgeous views but for proximity to downtown areas and restaurants, Napa seems to be better. We’d probably want to spend most of our day time doing tastings/ visiting vineyards and have 2 dinners out at a nice restaurants, and 1 dinner by a private chef.

What would this recommend? Open to recs in other towns like Calistaga/ St Helena/ etc as well!

Hi all! I have a friend who will be visiting next month and was asking about wine tasting in Napa. He is an enthusiast but i unfortunately don't imbibe that much so am not that knowledgeable. Reaching out to you all to crowdsource your collective wisdom.

As the title suggests, he prefers red wine (he did admit to liking vinho verde though). He said he usually reaches for cab sauv, and for european wines named rioja and something about "rosso"... I didn't catch what he said but I'm guessing that's probably not informative other than some kind of Italian red wine.

Which wineries should i direct him to? I personally have only been to a handful, Ridge in Healdsburg (i enjoyed their Zinfandel, but this isn't in Napa so not really what he asked for), and Tulocay (which i recall was in Napa, but it has been decades since my visit).

He's a cycling coach and I'm not sure he's bringing his (road) bike or not but if you have suggestions on bike routes I'll take those too!

Thank you all in advance!

Hi everyone! 🍂

My husband and I live in the Bay Area, and our family is visiting us for a few months. We’d love to take them to Napa to experience the fall colors, especially since our grandma is visiting too and we’d love to share the experience with her.

Does anyone know when the fall colors are usually at their best in Napa? Since our grandma is elderly, we’re hoping to find a beautiful fall experience that doesn’t require traveling too far to the major fall foliage destinations.

Would really appreciate any recommendations on the best time to visit or specific spots in Napa to see the colors!

Hi all! I am going to Napa for my 22 bday and I was planning on using Uber on the way there and back with 5 others. This is a day trip so we plan to leave around 9:30 and leave at 8-9pm in the evening after dinner. We are coming from Berkeley and are all students wondering if any of you have had any luck using uber in the evening to get back to the east bay. Were there people willing to drive back at that time? I’m just afraid we won’t get an uber at that time and are heavily relying on this to get back!

Has anyone ever been to this castle event for Halloween? Their website shows they are having it this year on Friday October 30th 2026 leading into Halloween morning. Looking for Halloween plans and haven’t seen anyone really talk about this so I’m wondering if it’s worth going to? Tickets are quite pricey closer to $200 per ticket…but thought it’d be a cool excuse to wear a costume, take some photos, enjoy some wine and music while wandering around the castle grounds. If you have been to this event before did you enjoy it? What kind of vibe/crowd can one expect? Thanks!

https://www.napavalley.com/event/halloween-at-castello/

Three folks traveling November 21-26. Arrive at SFO 9 am on the 21st, and leave SFO on the 26th at 10 am. We love sparkling wine, Cabs, Zins, and the non-buttery Chardonnay. We also want some outdoor activity during our visit - we’re all in good shape, so no restrictions. We like interesting shopping (we’re not luxe shoppers). We have one vegetarian, so there needs to be good veggie options at all restaurants. We’d like to get an Airbnb in one central location. Anyone want to take a crack at an itinerary?

First time visiting Napa Valley in early October. Will be staying at the Napa Valley Marriott. Not sure if this was a good choice. Will have rental vehicle. What are don’t miss breakfast, lunch, and dinner places? French Laundry was already sold out by the time I checked. Running and hiking suggestions? How’s the Napa Valley Vine Trail? Locally owned coffee spots?

We live fairly local to Napa/Sonoma. We really love big bold tannic dry acidic reds. We’d like to limit the tasting fee to $100 or hopefully less as we try to find a few places to join. I’d appreciate your advice!

My wife and I are planning a week long trip to celebrate our anniversary in early January and are looking for some unique suggestions. We will be staying on the south end of Napa. We aren't big drinkers or spenders. We will have a car. We really enjoy being outdoors, unique foods, exercise, trees, art and culture. Things we are planning so far: -Skyline wilderness -The Vine trail -A day trip to Point Reyes -A day in the town of Napa w/ Oxbow market Our location is kinda locked in but we don't mind a little travel. We are looking for: -unique but not too expensive restaurant options -best outdoor options (trails, etc...) -best section of the vine trail to bike that doesn't include alot of development -art/museum recommendations -Good values/deals for this time of year -feedback on our choices plus any other out of the box suggestions. I know the weather will likely be cold and rainy, which we don't mind being out in, but we're also looking for some indoor ideas to warm up... I get the feeling we're not the usual style of visitors for the area but it was surprisingly one of our most affordable options and looks like there is alot of enjoyable activities so we are looking forward to exploring and celebrating. Thanks

So I went to Mumm winery last year for my anniversary with my wife. We bought a chocolate from the counter (it was fancy like). Well we tried it and it was good, my wife stashed it away and a mouse found it ugh. So we tossed it. Does anyone know the chocolate they sold/sell and where to find it? I don’t know the name of the chocolate, but I think it was wine ish? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I’m heading to Napa mid-October, and would love to see Quintessa. I know about their Estate Experience and the Quintessential Experience, but the only one they have availability for is the Collector’s Experience, which seems to be more of a tour of the caves. Does anyone know if you still get to see much of the vineyard/outside property? I’ve not seen reviews on this particular tasting.

Planning a “witches night out” for a group of girlfriends on Friday 10/30 in Napa. Was hoping to dress in costumes, go somewhere for dinner and some sort of “pub/wine crawl” and/or end up dancing somewhere. I know downtown only has a handful of places that stay open past 9-10pm (Wine Girl) being one of them. I scoured the internet to see if any bars, wineries, etc are having any fun Halloween events on that night and nothing has been posted yet that I can see, other than a party with a DJ at Bouchaine Vineyards (never been- any feedback?). Does anyone know of places downtown that tend to decorate for Halloween and/or do any fun 21+ events? Thanks!

Surprising my girlfriend with anniversary trip to Napa but in fact going to propose while out there. Starting in St.Helena and then making our way down to Napa. We're in our late 20's and not super into wine but curious and interested to learn more(gf more into it than I am). Our goals are primarily trying various wines to better understand what we like and exploring the great food options.

Day 1 - Arrival

Fly into SFO in the evening grab rental car and drive towards St.Helena
Grab In & out on the way

Day 2 – St. Helena
- The Model Bakery
- Spa and pool time at our hotel
- Lunch at Farmstead (optional)
- Beringer Vineyards tasting
- Drinks at Auberge du Soleil
- Dinner at Press

Day 3 – Proposal Day
- Kunde Family Winery Tasting
- Lunch at Salt & Stone
- Tasting at Ledson Winery & Vineyards - where I'll propose
- Dinner at Charter Oak, milkshake at Gott's

Day 4 – Onward to Downtown Napa
- Check out
- Lunch at Bottega in Yountville
- Check In to hotel #2
- Explore downtown Napa, Oxbow Public Market
- Drinks at Sky & Vine Rooftop Bar
- Dinner at TORC

Day 5
- Opus One (have a DD for the day)
- Lunch at Oakville Grocery (pre-ordered)
- Chimney Rock Winery
- Darioush Winery
- Dinner at Scala Osteria

Day 6 – Head to SF
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Lunch in Sausalito/explore the area
- Cable car ride
- Drinks at The View Lounge
- Dinner at Saison

How would you rate this itinerary across the wineries and number of activities? Is there anything that we may be missing that is a must-do from folks who regularly visit?

Is there anything in downtown Napa worth checking out since we have a general open afternoon in the area.

Any other feedback or experiences to consider would be greatly appreciated!

A group of 6 adults will be visiting the region in October. I have never been to the area but am unfortunately doing most of the planning. I would love feedback on the draft itinerary. As info, we are flying into SFO from the east coast and arrive around noon. We are staying in an airbnb with a Santa Rosa address but it is very close to Kenwood.

Day 1 - Arrive in SFO, pick up rental car, eat late lunch at El Molino in Sonoma, grocery shop at Sonoma Market, head to airbnb to relax, eat dinner at house.

Day 2 - Explore Armstrong Redwoods National Reserve, Ridge Vineyards Cabernet Tasting at noon (with salami boards), explore Healdsburg, either eat dinner in Healdsburg or at Stella's in Kenwood.

Day 3 - Hansel tasting in morning, lunch in Sonoma (place TBD), Hamel Estate Experience in afternoon, Dinner at Glen Ellen Star, back to house.

Day 4 - Currently wide open

Day 5 - Head back to SFO to fly home. Consider grabbing breakfast I Petaluma on way to airport. Flight departs at 12:36.

Any and feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

NOTE: I realize our draft itinerary is not in Napa, but Reddit suggested I add this sub to my post for more coverage. Also, we do have a DD in the group and an open day we may venture over to Napa. Thank you!

Thoughts on these for first time Napa trip? Tried to get a combo of vibes but let me know what I should consider adding removing or swapping! 2 a day for 3 days, and we are based in Yountville

Family of 5 ages 27-66. We don’t know wines super well so open to the right combo of the wine itself but also just general wine country “vibes”

- Joseph Phelps
- Frank Family
- Shramsberg
- Caymus
- Mumm (heard nice at sunset, debating vs. Domaine Carneros)
- OPEN (Far Niente, Dairoush, Opus One, Stags Leap? IDK!)